TRADES A.i.R. artists together with artists of Hawaiʻi Nei at MoMA
February 26, 2023
Honolulu, Oʻahu Hawaiʻi
Just dropping a line to highlight the inclusion of several TRADES A.i.R. alums together with artists of Hawai‘i Nei in a screening program curated by kekahi wahi, which will premiere at Doc Fortnight, MoMA’s Festival of International Nonfiction Film and Media. Details below! Join us in congratulating kekahi wahi, and all the artists whose compelling time-based works will show as part of the program. Aupuni Space will be hosting a local in-person screening of the programs in the near future.
Dan Taulapapa McMullin, 100 Tikis, 2016, video still. Courtesy of the artist
i nā kiʻi ma mua, nā kiʻi ma hope
p3: arrivals and p4: lipo
premiering at MoMA Doc Fortnight 2023
ahead of Aupuni Space screenings
February 26, 2023 at 11am HST
kekahi wahi, a grassroots film initiative from Hawaiʻi instigated by filmmaker Sancia Miala Shiba Nash and artist Drew K. Broderick in 2020, presents two programs, titled p3: arrivals and p4: lipo, from their open-ended screening series i nā ki‘i ma mua, nā ki‘i ma hope, featuring moving-image works from Oceania and Asia Pacific. Much like a lei or garland, this guest-curated double bill strings together works by an intergenerational group of artists and filmmakers who offer glimpses into ongoing archipelagic realities. Collaborators include Nā Maka o ka ʻĀina (Joan Lander and Puhipau), Haʻaheo Auwae-Dekker, Sean Connelly, Léuli Eshrāghi, KEANAHALA, Tiare Ribeaux, Dan Taulapapa McMullin, e-nico, Jakob Soto, Noah Keone Viernes, kekahi wahi, Christopher Makoto Yogi, Vincent Bercasio with Madelyn Biven and Bradley Capello.
In acknowledgement of the ways in which filmmakers and artists are guided simultaneously by their pasts and futures, the title of the series expands on the oft-quoted ʻōlelo no‘eau (Hawaiian proverb) “I ka wā ma mua, ka wā ma hope.” Commenting succinctly on this saying, Native Hawaiian educator and community leader Lilikalā Kameʻeleihiwa writes in Native Land and Foreign Desires: Pehea Lā E Pono Ai? (1992), “The Hawaiian stands firmly in the present, with [their] back to the future, and [their] eyes fixed upon the past, seeking historical answers for present-day dilemmas.” Shifting the focus from ka wā (epoch, era, time, space) to nā ki‘i (images, likenesses, idols, petroglyphs) encourages unexpected connections across media formats, practices, movements, and generations. A conversation between participating filmmakers in attendance will follow each program.
Online viewing of the February 26 program requires a MoMA membership, Aupuni Space will present local in-person screenings of p3: arrivals and p4: lipo in the near future, stay tuned.
Tiare Ribeaux, Pōʻele Wai, 2022, video still. Courtesy of the artist